THE ST. PATRICK’S ORPHANAGE
This leads up naturally to the history of the Irish Catholic charities, and of the St. Patrick’s Orphanage, in particular.
Before 1800 few Irish reached the city, yet they came early in the nineteenth century, so that by 1823 the number of orphan children of Irish parentage was such that M. Roux, the superior of the Sulpicians, arranged with the Grey Nuns[2] to receive the first five of forty children in the “Salle des petites orphelines Irlandaises” which was opened February 14, 1823. Until 1886 the Sulpicians unostentatiously supported no less than 848 little Irish orphans.
In the fall of the year of “Black ’47” the Rev. M. Pinsonneault rented a house on Colborne Street of fifteen apartments, in which he lodged fifty families of those who, though destitute, had escaped the terrible ship fever. This was known as the “House.” Mrs. Brown, a good Catholic Irishwoman, undertook to teach the children and M. Pinsonneault founded a band of ladies for the purposes of organizing bazaars for the support of the struggling institution which was even vilified in the press. The “Ladies of Charity” were organized in 1849 as a permanent body to assume the upkeep of the work and to collect subscriptions.
Meanwhile during the visitation of 1847 it was rendered necessary for 650 little Irish orphans to be taken from the pest sheds of Point St. Charles and taken care of, as is told elsewhere, by the religious daughters of Mother Gamelin, the foundress of the Sisters of Providence.
On June 20, 1848, Father Dowd had arrived and, being appointed in September almoner of the poor, he became superior of the House. He quickly determined that a new asylum was needed. This was secured in a small house on Craig Street, opposite the Champ de Mars, generously loaned by M. Augustin Perreault, who added numerous other benevolent gifts and services. In October, 1849, the asylum was opened and Mrs. Brown was joined by Mrs. McMahon, better known as Mrs. “Mack.” A fire on June 9, 1850, nearly threatened the existence of the new house.
About 1850 a parishioner of St. Patrick’s church, M. Bartholomew O’Brien, bequeathed a sum of £1,000 for an orphan asylum. Father Dowd formed a building committee of Messrs. Charles T. Palgrave, Francis McDonnell, Charles Curran, P. O’Meara, P. Lawlor, J. McGovern, Patrick Brennan, Thomas O’Brien, Patrick Lynch and Mathew Ryan. The latter acted as secretary till February, 1850, when he was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Bell. A lot of ground, 100 feet by 10 in front on Dorchester Street, with 120 feet of rear, was given, in trust for the building of an Irish orphan asylum by the Fabrique of the parish of Montreal.
On November 21, 1851, the unfinished house was entered by the orphans, two or three planks laid against the principal entrance being the only door. The formal blessing of the building by the bishop took place on February 2, 1852. In this same year the treasurer, Mr. T.C. Palgrave, received a grant of £500 from the provincial parliament. The act of incorporation received the royal assent on May 30, 1855. In 1859 Father Dowd resigned his directorship, leaving a balance to the poor of $157.39. He was succeeded by the Rev. Michael O’Brien, who afterwards became the first superior of St. Ann’s church. In 1861 Mr. Edward Murphy, afterwards senator, joined the board of trustees, becoming secretary in the place of Mr. Bell.
His Excellency, Viscount Monck, governor-general, visited the orphan asylum on July 3, 1862, when an address was read by Mr. Thomas Ryan, afterwards senator. On the death of Mr. Bell, in 1864, Mr. John Fitzpatrick became a trustee. Dying in the same year, he made the orphanage his residuary legatee.
Through the efforts of the indefatigable Father O’Brien there was acquired the property on Lagauchetière Street, where the St. Bridget’s Refuge was afterwards built, the act of the transference by the corporation of the asylum to the refuge by resolution being dated June 24, 1866. In 1859 it was proposed to build St. Bridget’s church for the Irish in the Quebec suburbs and money was collected, but, as the bishop could not be prevailed upon to permit its creation, at a meeting of subscribers held on March 9, 1867, it was resolved unanimously on the motion of Mr. B. Devlin, and seconded by Mr. M.P. Ryan, that the money collected (about $8,000) by Fathers O’Brien and O’Farrell (afterwards bishop of Trenton) be appropriated as follows: “one-half to the Montreal St. Patrick’s Orphan Asylum and the other half to the Rev. Father O’Farrell and his successors for Irish Catholic charities in the St. Ann’s suburbs, the whole to be invested by them in stock in the new St. Patrick’s Hall, now in course of erection.”