For two centuries, St. Vincent de Paul parish has been a place of Catholic worship and community in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The parish, founded in 1826, celebrated its bicentennial Sunday, bringing together members of the congregation and the wider community to the church that’s occupied a part of Picton Street in Old Town since the mid-1800s.

St. Vincent de Paul was established to serve the growing Catholic population of the Niagara Peninsula.

The church that stands today was built between 1832 and 1834 and consecrated in 1835. It is the oldest Catholic church in continuous use for worship in Ontario.

Looking back at the parish’s beginnings, Coun. Erwin Wiens, who attended Sunday’s celebrated, noted it was formed at a time when Niagara-on-the-Lake, then the settlement of Niagara, was getting back on its feet after American forces burned down much of the community during the War of 1812.

“We would have been rebuilding,” he said.

He reflected on the experiences the parish must’ve had since its formation and today.

“What they would have seen over the last 200 years: the joys of baptisms and births and weddings and sorrows of funerals,” he said.

MP Tony Baldinelli, also in attendance, spoke about the parish’s interconnectedness with NOTL.

“This church has been much more than a building. It has been a spiritual home and a gathering place for generations of families and neighbors,” he said.

“In many ways, the story of this parish is woven into the very story and fabric of Niagara-on-the-Lake itself.”

Rev. Peter Rowe joined the parish in 2021, and serving the community has personal significance for him.

“Who would have dreamt, when I was coming down here to visit my cousins’ house, that I would eventually be a parish priest here?” he said. “I didn’t plan that. I’m grateful every day for it.”

While NOTL is known for its historic character and small-town charm, Rowe said St. Vincent de Paul remains an active parish with the same needs and expectations found in larger communities.

“We’re not just a vacation land here,” he said. “It’s got its uniqueness about it. But they all like the community aspect.”

Rowe said hospitality is an important part of St. Vincent de Paul’s identity, both in welcoming visitors and strengthening its own congregation.

“We welcome our visitors. But we also form ourselves into a faith community. And we want to do better at it,” he said.

As the church looks beyond its 200th anniversary, Rowe said one of its challenges will be maintaining a living faith community in the Old Town while reaching out to other communities.

“That faith will never disappear as long as the person of Jesus motivates people,” he said.

For a parish that has endured for two centuries, Sunday’s celebration offered an opportunity not only to look back but also to consider what will carry it forward.

Rowe said the example of the parish’s namesake, a French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor, continues to motivate people today.

“He lived a Jesus-like life,” he said. “People seem very motivated by that.”

juliasacco@niagaranow.com