St. Bridget's Church
St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church – Lot 19, Chapel Grove
Original Grant:
Andrew Bowman – January 27, 1786
Deed Transfers:
- Andrew Bowman to Henry Roome – 1786
- Henry Roome to John Pendergrass – 1815
- John Pendergrass to John Etchingham – 1818
- John Etchingham and William Scovil to Roman Catholic Church – 1834
History and Style:
St. Bridget’s Church was built between 1871 and 1873 to serve both the Catholic residents of the Peninsula and the seasonal cottagers from Saint John’s north end who camped in the area every summer. John Etchingham donated the land for the purpose of building a Catholic chapel in 1834, and a log chapel known as Ethingham’s Chapel was built behind where St. Bridget’s now stands. William Scovil also donated some of the land for the church, but it was deeded to him by Etchingham shortly before, suggesting he may have simply been carrying out the transaction on Etchingham’s behalf. A new addition has been added to this picturesque little chapel, and care has been taken to make it look as close to the original style as possible.
Outbuildings:
The red church hall was originally the mess hall of a summer camp run by the Catholic Church. There were other buildings in the area, including dormitories, that have since been torn down. After the closure of the summer camp, the mess hall was used for catechism, weddings, church dinners and other events. Upon completion of the new addition at St. Bridget’s, the Catechism classes were moved to their permanent location. The old church hall continues to be used for church, private, and public events
