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As our parish marks its 65th anniversary this year, we reflect on a journey defined by deep faith and a shared history. For more than six decades, Transfiguration of Our Lord has been a sanctuary for countless families—a place where seasons of joy and sorrow have been woven into the fabric of a vibrant community.
The story of our parish began five years before its official founding. In the late 1950s, as Cartierville blossomed with young families, local English-speaking Catholics recognized a growing need for a spiritual home closer to their doorsteps. During those early years, we flourished as a mission of St. Rita’s Parish in Ahuntsic. We gathered for Sunday Mass in the gymnasium of Blessed Oliver Plunkett School, guided by the devoted service of priests like Father Michael Healey, Father Walter Lallemond, and Father David Fitzpatrick. |
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Driven by a shared vision, the community sought to become a standalone parish. That prayer was answered on November 30, 1961, when Paul-Émile Cardinal Léger, Archbishop of Montreal, formally established the Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish. Carved from the territories of St. Rita, Our Lady of Fatima, and Notre Dame de Bois Franc, the new parish was entrusted to its first pastor, Father Edward Penny. The community’s commitment was immediate; by December 1961, eight wardens had been chosen from a field of fifteen dedicated candidates to help lead the fledgling administration.
The physical foundation of our home took shape on April 21, 1963, when parishioners voted to purchase land at the corner of Dudemaine and Filion from the City of Montreal. While our church was under construction, the spirit of the parish remained nomadic yet resilient. Children were baptized in the intimacy of Father Penny’s home on Jean-Masse Street or at St. Rita’s. First Communions and Confirmations were hosted by Our Lady of Fatima, while school halls continued to echo with the laughter of parish bazaars. |
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The long-awaited moment arrived on Thanksgiving weekend, October 10, 1965. In a sanctuary blessed by Cardinal Léger, we celebrated our first Mass in the building that has stood as our beacon ever since. Today, sixty-five years since our inception, we honor those beginnings as we continue to grow in faith and fellowship.
Today, we gather with grateful hearts to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish and give thanks to the LORD for the visionary families of Cartierville who, over six decades ago, sought to build a home for His Word. We honor the memory of Cardinal Léger and Father Edward Penny, and we give thanks for the generations of parishioners who have walked through these doors in times of both celebration and sorrow. As we look back on our humble beginnings at Blessed Oliver Plunkett School and the laying of our cornerstone on Filion Street, we ask for the LORD's continued blessing upon our community. May our parish remain a beacon of light and a sanctuary of peace. We pray the LORD grant us the grace to carry forward the faith of those who came before us, serving one another with the same devotion that founded this spiritual home in 1961. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
