Parishes of Mascouche
and Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
Le nouveau presbytère construit en 1890.
En 1939, ajout d'une annexe au presbytère.
En 1952, célébration du 200ème anniversaire de la paroisse.
Le nouveau presbytère construit en 1890.
Are you coming to visit the region?
Mascouche is full of very interesting historical facts. The SO ciété de D evelopment and A nimation of M ascouche (SODAM) has created a route relating the historical facts around the church and the town hall. They also created a route of the cemeteries in the region.
Consult them by downloading the application before your visit by clicking here . Or scan this code with your smartphone:
A brief history of the parishes and of the City of Mascouche
1742
(July 9) After obtaining permission from Mgr Henri Dubreil de Pontbriand, the new bishop of Quebec since August 30, meeting in Isle Jesus at the notary CF Coron, of the main inhabitants of the Mascouche river then served by the parish of Lachenaie. In this assembly, Pierre Truchon, resident of the Côte St-Jean-Baptiste and Charlotte Boimé, his wife [Pierre Truchon dit Léveillé and Charlotte Bohémier], jointly give to Nicholas Picard, Jean-Baptiste Beauchamp, Étienne Éthier, Jacques Villeneuve and Joseph Jannard, all inhabitants of the same coast, in front of the notary, a land of six arpents in area, for the making of a parish that everyone wants to establish in the Côte St-Jean-Baptiste.
1749
(June 9) Official recognition of the parish of St-Henri de Mascouche by Mgr de Pontbriand, bishop of Quebec [Henri, the patron saint of the parish is chosen with reference to the first name of the bishop of Quebec] during the pastoral visit to St-Charles de Lachenaie.
The construction work of the chapel, the sacristy and the presbytery began simultaneously in the fall and continued, mainly by drudgery, throughout the fine season of 1750. Towards the end of the year, the chapel, although unfinished is somewhat roomy to accommodate the first priest, Mr. Simon-Amable Raizenne.
1750
Construction of a first chapel. Before that, "there was no church, the parish not being constituted, since it was still part of Lachenaie". (Crépeau LAF, MASCOUCHE EN 1910, p.90) However, there was no path allowing the inhabitants to go to the church of Lachenaie.
(December 29) First act certified by witnesses. "... to have baptized, Marie Joseph, daughter of Pierre Truchon dit Léveillé and Marie Charlotte Boymié".
[By a striking coincidence, it was the church's land donors who, eight and a half years later, had the first child baptized in the new ward.]
(Locas Clément, LA PETITE HISTOIRE D'UNE GRANDE PAROISSE, in 225 years of history: Homage to our ancestors , Le Trait d'Union newspaper, Mascouche, 1976, p.3)
1751
St-Henri has its church, a presbytery for the priests, behind, "buildings where the parish priest barked his tithe of grain and hay, housed his horse and his cow, and the well deep enough for the parish priest's needs, to water horses arriving at mass; and also to draw water from the bucket in case of fire ”. (Ibid., P.9)
The chapel, a small wooden building measuring 30 by 29 feet, which has only 27 benches, cost 237 francs.
1755
(February 11) Marking of the land for the construction of a wooden bridge "crossing the Mascouche river opposite the church ..." (Crépeau LAF, MASCOUCHE EN 1910 , p.44)
1777
Never having been repaired since its construction in haste, the small chapel is no longer in a state suitable for worship; religious services have been held in the presbytery for a few years!
Construction work on a stone church begins in the fall, a few months after the consecutive deaths of the couple who donated the land for the church!
1781
(September 29) The church is finished for St-Michel; Messire Sartelon, director of Maison St-Sulpice in Montreal, solemnly blessed the new temple on the following October 9, in the presence of parish priest Antoine Foucher of St-Henri and his parishioners, as well as parish priests from neighboring parishes of Lachenaie, St-François of Île Jésus and the Visitation of Sault-au-Récollets.
1807
Construction of a new rectory, a building 64 feet long by 36 feet wide.
1836
(November 5) Civil erection of Mascouche as a parish by the Governor-in-Chief of Upper and Lower Canada, His Excellency Archibald, Count of Gosford.
1840
The first chapel is getting old and is affected by the weakness of the soil on which it is built. We are considering a new construction, but because of the very high costs of such an enterprise, we prefer to proceed with the consolidation and expansion of the old building.
1845
The municipality of St-Henri de Mascouche is created.
1852
Decision to build “a house which would be at the same time a refuge for orphans, an asylum for old people and an educational house for young girls” (Crépeau LAF, MASCOUCHE EN 1910 , p.137)
1852
Construction of the Mascouche college.
1855
(February 3) The Sisters of Providence take possession of the convent, in accordance with the wishes of the parish authorities. The institution takes the name of Providence St-Louis.
1873
The convent being then too small, one proceeds to its expansion.
1878
Inauguration of the railway and the Mascouche and Cabane-Ronde stations.
1881
(June 16) After Vespers on Corpus Christi Sunday, the fire destroyed the convent.
Start of construction of the current church. The work will take three years. Its interior dimensions are 42 meters long by 17.4 meters wide and 13.5 meters high.
1883
(June 23) Celebration of the first mass in the reconstructed convent.
1885
(May 31) Blessing of the church by Father Louis-Joseph Lauzon.
(June 17) Baptism of the three bells of the church by Mgr Fabre. They weigh 750, 575 and 465 kilograms respectively.
(August 25) Consecration of the church by Mgr Fabre, Bishop of Montreal.
Demolition of the first church.
1888
The Brothers of Christian Instruction take charge of the College of Mascouche until then directed by ecclesiastics (1852-1858) then by teachers (1858-1888).
1890
Construction of a new presbytery.
1898
The telephone makes its appearance in the parish.
1902
Purchase of land for the development of the current cemetery, the previous land located next to the church having become too cramped.
1904
(January 27) By decree of His Holiness Pius X, Joliette becomes a diocese.
1905
Blessing of the new cemetery.
1906
Replacement of the old wooden bridge with a metal structure bridge.
1910
Beginning of the electrification of the parish.
(July 1,2,3,4) Celebrations of the 160th anniversary of the founding of the parish and of the 25th anniversary of the consecration of the current church. “The proposed program includes: a solemn service for deceased parishioners; a solemn mass on Sunday, July 3, followed by the unveiling of a statue donated by the Elders; a large banquet; eloquent speeches; a dramatic and musical evening; illumination; etc. ” (Crépeau LAF, MASCOUCHE EN 1910 , Supplement p.29)
(July 3) Unveiling of the statue of Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny on the occasion of the 160th anniversary celebrations of the parish, a ceremony which brings together more than 5,000 people and at which Henri Bourrassa delivers a speech worthy of his oratorical talents. The bust is the work of sculptor Philippe Hébert.
1911
Installation of a central heating system with hot water in the church to replace the old previous stoves.
1914
Installation of electric lighting in the church. Until then we used to light the oil lamp.
A first aqueduct service supplies the village.
1917
The Mascouche school board takes charge of the Mascouche college, still run by the Brothers of Christian Instruction.
1918
Erection of the Stations of the Cross in the new cemetery and installation of the statue of the Sacred Heart on the site of the old one.
1920
Demolition of the college built in 1852 and construction of a more functional building.
1937
Construction of the current cement bridge to replace the old steel structure bridge. It is given the name of Le Gardeur bridge.
1939
Addition of an annex to the presbytery to be able to suitably accommodate a second vicar.
1942
Foundation of the first caisse populaire.
1948
Installation of a first lighting in certain streets of the village.
1950
Foundation of the parish of Notre-Dame du Très-Saint Rosaire / Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Mascouche Height. The first priest-priest in office is Abbé Albéric Lalande.
1951
Celebration of the 200th anniversary of the parish of St-Henri. St-Henri de Mascouche then had 2,473 inhabitants.
1952
Fire ravaged the Mascouche college building.
1953
The college was rebuilt and then took the school name La Mennais, from the name of the founder of the Brothers of Christian Instruction.
1962
Expansion of the current cemetery.
1965
The Sisters of Providence are leaving Mascouche. La Fabrique takes possession of the convent on August 15.
1966
(April 2) Priestly ordination of Father Marcel Ladouceur, current priest-collaborator of the parishes of Saint-Henri and Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire (Mascouche).
1972
(March 2) Sale of the convent building to the municipality for the sum of $ 15,000 (current Town Hall).
The Brothers of Christian Instruction are leaving the La Mennais school.
1976
Le Trait d'Union newspaper publishes a supplement to underline the 225th anniversary of St-Henri de Mascouche. This brochure is written by Father Clément Locas.
1980
(February 14) Foundation of the parish of St-Benoît bringing together part of the parishes of St-Henri and Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire / Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
1981
(September) Formation of a parish pastoral council (CPP) for Saint-Henri.
1985
Celebration of the centenary of the construction of the Saint-Henri church.
2000
Celebration of the 250th anniversary of St-Henri de Mascouche.
(September 1) Priestly ordination in Joliette of Father Éric Généreux, current priest-sponsor of the parishes of Saint-Henri and Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire.
2003
The Center d'Entraide is moving into its new premises at 3320, chemin Ste-Marie (formerly Albi Mazda premises).
2004
Decree formalizing the abolition of the parish of Saint-Benoit (Mascouche) and annexation to the parish of Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire / Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Mascouche).
Presentation of the First Fête des Nations de Mascouche, an event celebrating the cultural diversity of the municipality.
Celebration of the centenary celebrations of the diocese of Joliette.
2006
(March 19) Priestly ordination of Father Stéphane Côté, current priest-collaborator of the parishes of Saint-Henri and Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire (Mascouche).
2010
Closure of the Center Saint-Benoît, where all the ceremonies were held for the parish of Saint-Benoît, annexed in 2004 to the Parish of Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire.
2014
Tenth and last edition of the Fête des Nations, which brings together hundreds of cultures from all over the world, but living in Mascouche and the surrounding area.
2016
(July 16) First edition of the Course en Couleurs - Mascouche, organized by a committee of the Parish of Saint-Henri, to raise funds that will allow the work to be carried out to safeguard the municipal historical heritage, the St-Henri church. More than 1200 people purchased tickets to participate in the event.
(December) The statue of Saint-Henri, which was installed in the facade of the church was taken down to be redone. The cement sculpture, made by the Italian Carli from Montreal, was in such a state of repair that the Fabrique cannot restore it and must make a new one. It will be installed in 2017.
Also, in the fall of 2016, major masonry work was carried out on the facade and the bell tower of the church. All these years of weathering have damaged the stones and the mortar that holds everything in place. The firm GB Cotton of Terrebonne did the work, under the supervision of architects Nadeau Nadeau Blondin . The work will be completed in October 2017.
Finally, the bells were motorized by the firm Goudreault les cloches inc. in December 2016. They ring automatically for Sunday celebrations, and the angelus at noon and 6:00 pm will sound again throughout the parish. The bells had not been used for over two years, due to the work to be done on the facade, to avoid further damage to it.
2017
In the spring, work was undertaken at the Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire church to repair the damage caused by water infiltration into the sacristy. When the contractor opened the ceiling, he realized the extent of the damage and that the ceiling had dropped. The bells were to be removed for safety. A generous contractor offered to remove them from the steeple, clean them, polish them and build a structure to install them on the church floor. However, they would no longer be functional. A panel recalling their history would be added to this structure. The set should be installed free of charge in the fall. The space where the bells were has been closed and an electronic system will eventually be installed.
(June 13) Saint-Henri finds its place in the facade of the church, after having been completely redone by a firm in the region. Under the supervision of GB Cotton, the statue was replaced and anchored in its place.
Also in 2017, the bell tower of Saint-Henri is lit by a new LED lighting system which also allows us to change color according to the events and the liturgical time.
(November 3) First edition of the Bulles et Saveurs event in Saint-Henri church, with Sister Angèle as guest, who presented us with flavors from Germany. We unveiled the head of Saint-Henri, which we have preserved from the old statue on the facade of the church and which will eventually be installed inside the church to recall the work of Carli, installed in the facade shortly after the construction of the current church.
2018
Fall. Start of repair work on the church square. The works had to be stopped because of an early winter. They will be resumed in spring 2019.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
The work to install the bells of Notre-Dame du Très-Saint-Rosaire on the parterre was completed by the company which offered this arrangement. A fundraising campaign was launched allowing donors to have their name inscribed on one of the stones of the installation.
2019
(July 7) Official inauguration of the new forecourt of St-Henri church in the presence of the priests of the parish (Éric Généreux and Stéphane Côté), of the fundraising committee (composed of Ms. Laurence Duval, Ms. Denise Paquette, Mr. Jean- Guy Brien and Luc Brien, honorary co-presidents, Mr. Gilles Lescarbault, Mr. Dany Franche, Mr. Alain Rioux and Father Éric Généreux) of the mayor Guillaume Tremblay, of the provincial deputy Mr. Mathieu Lemay, of the deputy Federal Mr. Luc Thériault, as well as many donors whose names are found on one of the stones of this square.
2020
(March 13) Announcement is made by the government of Quebec, by its Prime Minister François Legault, that a global pandemic with Coronavirus, called COVID-19 and coming from China, is also affecting Quebec. Everything that is not essential must close, including all places of worship of all spiritual communities. All activities in both parishes were canceled until July 4, when weekday celebrations and funerals could resume.
(April 13) Father Éric Généreux leaves the parishes, after almost 20 years of service for the parishioners of Mascouche, to enlist full time as chaplain of the Canadian Armed Forces. His successor will arrive on September 1, 2020.
(July 12) Resumption of Sunday masses in times of pandemic with a whole health protocol: limited number of people, wearing of masks, disinfection of benches, etc.
(September 1) Arrival of the new parish priest of Mascouche, Father Claude Ritchie. Father Stéphane Côté leaves for an extended leave.
(October 1) The government is once again imposing restrictions on the number of people who can attend ceremonies. Only 25 people can be in the church by ceremonies. The Montreal region is once again in high alert mode for COVID-19.