THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF CAPE VINCENT, ROSIERE AND CHAUMONT
On July 1, 2004, with the approval of His Excellency Gerald M. Barbarito then Bishop of the Ogdensburg Diocese, St. Vincent of Paul Parish in Cape Vincent with its mission, St. Vincent de Paul in Rosiere, and All Saints Parish in Chaumont were merged to form The Catholic Community of Cape Vincent, Rosiere and Chaumont. The three worship sites (churches) and other facilities are now the property of this new legal entity. The three rectories are in use. The Pastor, Father Pierre Aubin, MSC, resides in Cape Vincent, Deacon Robert Ruddy and his wife Judy in Rosiere and Sister Anne Hogan, SJ, in Chaumont. Given the fact that the parish borders Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, it is a resort area. During the summer, mass attendance quadruples.
St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rosiere
The church was built in 1832. Dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul, the parish was incorporated on August 3, 1871 as St. Vincent’s Congregation. One cannot give the history of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rosiere without writing about the Jacques Donation Le Ray de Chaumont family. For more detailed information about the history of Cape Vincent, Rosiere and Chaumont please go to the following link:
THE INFLUENCE OF THE LERAY DE CHAUMONT AND OF THE BONPARTES IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE NORTH COUNTRY.
At one time Jacques was a member of the council of Louis XVI and apparently in great favor with the young king. In 1776, Le Ray purchased a large country estate at Passy, France. As he warmly espoused the cause of the colonists in America, he invited Benjamin Franklin to establish his residence at Passy. Franklin benefited greatly from Le Ray’s influence in his efforts to obtain from France the help needed for the colonies to achieve independence from England, France’s enemy.
Jacques had one son also named Jacques, later known as James (1760-1840). Learning English from Doctor Franklin, James developed a great sympathy for the American cause and an able assistant to his father. After the war James spent much time in the United States and became an American citizen. Thanks to his political connections, he purchased large tracts of land in northern New York State. In 1802 settlements were made on his land in Jefferson County. In 1808 he and his family occupied the beautiful Le Ray mansion James had built on property that is now part of Fort Drum, near Watertown.
The only son of James was named Vincent (1790-1875). After completing his studies he joined his parents in America in 1808. He remained in the North Country for nearly thirty years. To him and his father is due the development of the land north and west of the Adirondack Mountains. Through the influence of James Le Ray de Chaumont, many people who were faithful to the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte were driven from France and settled in Cape Vincent and Rosiere. People of German descent also settled in the area soon after the arrival of the French thanks to the influence of Le Ray. Both groups were Catholic. Since James was himself a fervent Catholic he immediately donated land for the building of a church, paid for one-quarter of the expense and loaned the rest of the money.
At the time, Bishop John Dubois was responsible for the diocese of New York, which comprised the entire State of New York and part of the State of New Jersey. He was born in Paris in 1764. Because of the French Revolution he was forced to leave for America soon after his ordination to the priesthood. During the summer of 1832, while visiting the Catholic population in the North Country, he accepted the invitation of James Le Ray de Chaumont to come to Rosiere and bless the corner stone of St.Vincent de Paul Church on what is now Dezengremel Road. On that occasion James presented this new parish with one hundred acres of land a short distance away.
Father Michael Guth was the first resident pastor (1837 to 1843). His assistant, Father Ancet, was given the responsibility of building a church in Cape Vincent. In 1851 Father Lewis Lepic was placed in charge of the parishes of Cape Vincent and Rosiere while Father Guth served the parishes of Clayton and LaFargeville. Both priests resided in Rosiere. In 1869 Father Victor Ritter was appointed pastor. He was responsible for the building of the present rectory on the land donated by James Le Ray de Chaumont. In 1872, Edgar P. Wadhams became the first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Ogdensburg. Because of the large number of French speaking Catholics in Jefferson County, he invited the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) from France to come to Watertown. Father Joseph-Fernand Durin was the first superior of this new religious community. Soon after his arrival in 1876 he also ministered to the people of Rosiere and Evans Mills. By then the Rosiere congregation had outgrown its church. So he immediately began to plan for a new one. It would be located near the railroad station on parish property on the present County Route 4. The corner stone was laid in 1878. Two years later, when Father Sherry was pastor, Bishop Wadhams dedicated the handsome new church erected near the railroad station on the parish property. The old stone church fell into ruin soon after it was abandoned. Many of the heroes of Austerlitz are buried in the quiet graveyard across the way. It is worth noting that Rosiere was a mission of Cape Vincent in 1884 and from 1897 to 1902. In 1905 Father John F. Byrnes completed the handsome parochial residence near the church.
A development that greatly influence the life of the parishioners was the establishment of the Le Ray de Chaumont Knights of Columbus Council # 2148 on July 11, 1920. The members first met in a large hay barn located on the land that had been donated by Le Ray. A few months later the council bought a half-acre of land directly across the road from the church and built the K of C Hall. That facility became the property of the parish in 1992 and is now referred to as the Parish Center.
In 1929 the parish purchased beautiful stained glass windows from Haskins Glass Studio in Rochester, NY. They are now in dire need of repair and cleaning. It is hoped that the work can be done during the next few years, beginning this summer. In 1953, while Father Walter J. Charbonneau was pastor, the church underwent major renovations. The rectory was also remodeled in 2001 under the leadership of Father John Silver.
St. Vincent of Paul Church in Cape Vincent
The history of this parish is also intimately linked to the influence of LeRay de Chaumont and of the Bonapartes. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the village of Cape Vincent was colonized in large part by émigrés from the French Revolution and soldiers and friends of the defeated Napoleon Bonaparte.
A French missionary, Father Ancet, began the building of the church in Cape Vincent in 1850. Under the direction of Father Louis Lepic, also from France, the work was completed in 1851 at a cost of $5,000. Named St. Vincent de Paul Church, it was dedicated by Bishop McClosky of Albany in June 1858 and incorporated on December 31, 1869. The name was later changed to St. Vincent of Paul to minimize the confusion with the same named church in Rosiere.
Prior to the building of the church, Cape Vincent Catholics held their services at the home of Augustus Duford, which still stands on the corner of James and Lake Street. In the early days, priests had to come from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, to say mass. After the Rosiere church was built in 1832 the priests in charge of Rosiere served the people of Cape Vincent as well.
In 1850 the Smith Family donated the land on which the church stands. The stone church is in the gothic revival style. The main part of the church has a shallow-pitched tin gable roof. The recessed entrance has a double five-panel door. The interior retains the original pressed tin cove ceiling, oak pews, moldings and choir loft.
Father James Sherry was pastor from 1877 to 1883. He obtained the funds needed to purchase the stained windows. He was also responsible for the building of the magnificent altar of Spanish architecture. Father William S. Kelly was the first resident pastor. He served from 1890 to 1896. The present rectory is located on the St. Lawrence River, at the corner of Broadway and Kanady Street, two blocks away from the church. Built in 1892, it was the summer home of Lorenzo Kelsey. It became the property of the parish in 1896 for the sum of $6,000. Father Kelly was also pastor of the Rosiere Church. Often he had to make the trip between the parishes by handcar on the railroad tracks. In 1902, St. Vincent de Paul in Rosiere and St. Vincent de Paul in Cape Vincent became separate parishes. From then until 1920, when Father Dufour became pastor, a number of priests served the parishes, including Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from Watertown. In 1921, thanks to Father Duford, the parish purchased for $2,400 the pipe organ that was in the home of George Pullman, the Chicago railroad tycoon. Since then that organ has been in the loft of St. Vincent of Paul Church. It has been rebuilt twice and is considered one of the treasures of the parish.
Father Patrick Riley, pastor from 1946 to 1964, built the present sacristy. As for the parish hall, it was completed in 1965 thanks to the leadership of Father John Kennedy. It is attached to the church so that it provides additional seating for masses during the summer months. Both the sacristy and the hall are covered with stone that match the church. Over the years the church and the rectory have undergone some major renovations. Since 2002, when Missionary of the Sacred Heart Father Pierre Aubin became pastor, some noticeable improvements include new sidewalks, landscaping and a new church sign.
All Saints Church in Chaumont
All Saints Church of Chaumont Jefferson County N.Y. was incorporated on January 3, 1896. The second Bishop of the diocese, Henry Gabriels, dedicated the church on October 5, 1902. A Father Hogan from St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown celebrated the first mass on record in Chaumont in 1868. It was on the occasion of the funeral of a railroad worker. It took place in the house where he boarded. In the following ten years visiting priests held services in various homes throughout the community. In 1877 the mission of Chaumont was joined with Clayton. At that time, through the kindness of Hiram Copely, mass was said in the LeRay de Chaumont house and later on in the Dayton Hilts home. In 1895 the Chaumont congregation was joined to the Brownville and Dexter parishes.
Thanks to Father J.A. Hagerty, the property where the present church stands was purchased on February 17, 1896. It consisted of a house, a shop, and a quarter acre of land on what is now Madison Street. The parishioners volunteered their time to convert the house into a small church. Mass was then offered twice a month on Sundays. Priests served Chaumont from Brownville until Father James McGowan became pastor in 1910. As the population was increasing Bishop Joseph H. Conroy decided in 1922 to make Chaumont a parish with Dexter as a mission.
With the appointment of Father Edward H. Bernier as the first resident pastor of All Saints in 1924, parochial life was greatly enhanced. In 1929, the house adjoining the church property was purchased for use as a rectory. On August 21, 1930, a large portion of the village was destroyed by fire, including the little church. The rebuilding began immediately so that the church was completed on time for the Christmas celebrations that same year.
Father E.J. Pierce who became pastor in 1937 was known for his ecumenical spirit and was much appreciated by both Protestants and Catholics. During the pastorate of Father Edward Burns (1946-1959) the increase of permanent and summer parishioners continued. He purchased a new organ and began fund raising for stained glass windows.
Father Gerald Sharland was pastor of the Chaumont parish from 1959. At that time the mission of Dexter was joined to Brownville. He was responsible for a number of improvements to the facilities, in particular for the addition to the church of a new parish center dedicated by Bishop Thomas A. Donnellan on June 21, 1964. Since then a number of pastors have contributed to the well being of the parish. More recently Father Michael Gaffney who purchased new pews, Father Steven Murray who replaced the steeple for the church, put a new roof and new siding on the church and the parish center, and Father Aubin who remodeled the inside of the parish center.