St Clements Church, Cambridge On July 11, 2010



Here are my impressions of St. Clements Church in Cambridge, ON. I'll have to leave the structural analysis to you as I am way beyond my depth of knowledge and focus instead on impressions of the church and the day.

What a unique idea this is...I tried to remember the genesis of the idea and it is all a little foggy. Like all good ideas, I think it was a collaborative effort - part you, and part me. I think maybe I mentioned a long time ago that I'd like to visit other churches and you said you would too but then added the Joseph Connolly, the architect, spin into the mix to give us direction and focus. In any case, here we go!

St. Clements Church, Cambridge, ON

We arrived at the church almost at 9 am - we managed to find the church and get there on time - despite a small detour beforehand of our own making to admire God's own handiwork!). I didn't have time to look at the outside other than to note it is situated on a hill with grand old brickwork. I was happy to see the old wooden staircase inside the vestibule has been left stained and unpainted and took a second to note the fine carving of some artisan from long ago. My hand grasped the newel post and it flashed in my mind the countless hands before me - maybe even Lorne's cousin's hand as this was her parish for years. And I thought how buildings can tie the past to the present. Inside the church is open and airy with grand domed and arched ceilings (Lorne will have to give detail on the construction!). The soft blues and creams of the paints give the church a lightness of feeling - mayble to make our spirits feel light in turn.

We chose a good spot to sit - on the aisle (we both like being on the aisle - me, for slight claustrophobia and Lorne to make a quick exit if necessary (wonder why he needs to make a quick get-a-way...a question for another day). Shortly into the service, the sun streamed into the window and lit the pews around us...it felt like I could feel God's pleasure with our undertaking. Lorne whispered I looked beautiful in the sunlight - a comment to treasure. Or maybe God's light was really shining on the little baby who sat infront of us because she was really a little sweetie. So calm and full of smiles and she liked the music. I couldn't resist touching her toes when we exchanged the sign of peace.

Part way through the service I stopped to admire the paintings and the stained glass. I wondered what the church would look like inside at night. There was a grand old organ in the balcony and you could see the majestic pipes rising above the balcony balustrade...I would really like to hear that organ playing full throttle with a choir of 20 or 30 joyous voices - I think that would be a spectacular sound to behold and God would smile in pleasure.

All in all, a grand first foray into our church project!
Maureen

We share a love of old things and architecture so we decided to attend mass in different churches. I have always loved St. Patrick's church in Hamilton Ontario and have admired her from afar. I know that her builder was an Irishman named Joseph Connolly who over his lengthy career built and refurbished over 40 churches in Southern Ontario. I love the style that was born centuries before he started working and influenced his working career. I smiled when I read that an Irish Catholic made such an impression on a group of Baptists that he was hired to design/build a church for them . The style of church Architecture that was built in the 1800's Ontario was mostly Gothic and was borrowed by the day's Architects. Joseph Connolly was no exception.

St. Clements in Preston Ontario.

Before the tricities there was Preston , Galt and Hespeler. The trades and people who worked and resided in each city or town made it unique. All three towns are located on the either the Speed or another source of The Grand River. With the river came the mills and mill workers were primarily Catholic. The church located at 745 Duke St Cambridge is one street away from the main through fair. It is banked into a hill with the front doors on the top of the hill and the rear at the bottom. She was built in 18... by local talent and has been maintained by some devout parishioners. Most of the repairs including very large repairs have been carried out by non paid parishioners.

The framing which hides behind the brick and under all the glorious plaster is a marvel to me. This church has huge vaulted ceilings and her walls have been pushed away in the style of Gothic churches of the 18th century. This style can be seen in Paris France. The granite pillars would have been found locally and take the position of the exterior walls. The arched ceilings rest on the pillars and the exterior walls which have been pushed away giving precious space to this stunning and very well appointed church. Catholic's have celebrated their faith and their gifts from God for over a century in this building and the little time I spent in it was fantastic. There is a sanctuary with off shoot wings /galleries that are adjacent to the Altar and are a marvel . My Cathedral is St Peter's Basilica in London ON, it and this building share so many traits with one another.

I celebrated mass with my friend Maureen and other faithful on a beautiful Southern Ontario July morn. This is not my first visit to St. Clements. The first time was a little over a month ago when I attended the funeral of my first cousin Catherine Barron. Catherine had a great eye for detail and found solace in this building. I think I will return as something feels like home here. I too would love to hear music from the rear of the church and from the upper balcony. A single fiddle/violin's song would be sweet on a beautiful day such as we had.

Later that same day I , an Irishman by blood used my eyes of great detail to spy a shiny dime where no dime should be. I immediately climbed to it's location , plucked it from the mud , said hello to my watcher as tradition states and put the glistening find in a pocket where I wouldn't spend it.

Lorne