"It must have been a sad day for the people of Harbour Grace when Bishop O'Neill stood here and told them that, after 97 years of being the seat of the Harbour Grace RC Diocese, that seat was going to be moved to Grand Falls. That turning point in the history of the diocese took place in 1953. Bishop J. M. O'Neill, at that time, told the priests of the diocese he had no choice in moving the seat to Central Newfoundland.
The province was changing. Gander had the international airport, Buchans was a thriving mining town, Bishop's Falls had its railway terminal, and Grand Falls its paper mill. After Confederation many new roads were built, opening up the central part of the province, and the church also was changing. It was felt that Grand Falls would be a more central location to better serve the growing diocese.
By 1855, the Catholic population of Newfoundland had reached 57,000. Bishop Mullock of St. John's petitioned Rome to establish a second diocese to provide better spiritual care for the people and greater opportunities for educational development in the Harbour Grace area and along the Northeast coast.
Rt. Rev. John Dalton, an Irish Franciscan, was appointed first bishop. After his untimely death at 49, Rome sent an Italian bishop, Rt. Rev. Henry Carfagnini.
The Italian Bishop didn't get along with the Benevolent Irish Society. Irishmen never back down from a fight and a fight erupted, which became very divisive in the diocese. Rome recalled the Italian Bishop but according to the legend, before he left, Bishop Carfagnini put a curse on the town that the grass would grow on Water Street. Whether that is true or not we do not know. Catholicism in Newfoundland owes a deep gratitude to the old priests of the diocese — those devoted pioneers, who suffered hardships and difficulties unknown to the present generation. Even before Harbour Grace was a diocese, the Presentation Sisters came to work here, followed by the Sisters of Mercy and the Irish Christian Brothers, who left their homes in Ireland never to return. When history is written, the sacrifice of these women and men will shine out.
Forty years ago today the Second Vatican Council came to an end and that brought about many changes. It was the 1960s ... the times were changing and the church also had to read the signs of the times — to open the windows and let the spirit breathe through to bring new life into the church. After the Second Vatican Council, many people felt the loss of the way things had been done up to that point in time — altar rails were being removed and priests facing the people. They were also the best of times because now lay people were coming forth and taking their rightful place, proclaiming the word, ministering communion, serving the sick, serving on committees. It was also the worst of times, because some of our priests, men who had started out with all the generosity of youth, for whatever reason, chose to follow another path. Our faith was being tested. While the bishops, priests, and religious have played an important role in the history of the church, we must never forget the laity - lay men and women who have constantly been saying yes to God.
In the early, days parents would gather their children around kerosene lamps to recite their prayers and talk about God. Some would only see a priest a couple of times a year. People often lived in poverty with great sacrifices but they were rich in faith. Many of those homes in those little outports were domestic churches — their faith was real, values were handed on, love was practiced, and forgiveness was understood. Today lay people still carry on in our churches and make a tremendous contribution through such groups as the St. Vincent De Paul Society, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women's League, those who take communion to the sick and serve the poor. There is a tremendous amount being done and we are proud of those lay people who say yes to God.
The Diocese of Grand Falls has contributed to the greater church especially from Harbour Grace and Carbonear. Many men and women have gone to other parts of the world — to China, the Dominican Republic and Peru — some of them lay buried in those foreign lands. The Sisters of Mercy continue to serve in Peru in our name. Each and every one of us, in his/her own way, have been a part of the journey of faith we are celebrating tonight. Now that we are into a new millennium we celebrate our journey of faith. We are proud of our past. We are proud of our Catholic heritage. We are proud of our ancestors in the faith and we remember the past with gratitude. In the new millennium, our faith still sustains us and we realize the good that is still being done by those faithful Catholic people who continue to say yes to God, to serve church and society in so many ways to make this world a better place. We look forward to the future with great confidence as we continue to celebrate our journey in faith.
December 8, 2005 — Opening Mass in Harbour Grace celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Grand Falls
