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between 1934 and 1950 must be credited with establishing a firm foundation and setting the parish on its feet." The priests of these years nurtured the spiritual welfare of the children who attended the St.Peter's School next door, and saw several children adopt the religious life for themselves. Father Charles Kisel was ordained on June 21, 1936, Father J.M. Cano on May 18, 1940, Father Donald Bajdik on April 2, 1949 and Brother Ambrose Matulak took his final vows in the Order of St.Benedict in 1956. The parish has also seen Sister Maria Surina, Sister Juliana Palleck, Sister Rosanna Stupendick, Sister Stanislaus Capulak and Sister Helen Libiak take their final vows; others have tried the religious life and the experience has enriched their spiritual development. By this time in the coal docks, there were four churches within four blocks of each other, and on the feast day of Corpus Christi the various Catholic congregations gathered together in a very public expression of their common faith - the Corpus Christi Procession. People unable to attend would set up outdoor altars or place holy pictures and candles in the windows. From the top of the bridge leading into the coal docks, or East End as it was beginning to be called, one could see an incredible mass of people winding their way through the narrow streets; some in Knights of Columbus garb, some carrying the banner of the patron saint of their society or church, children in their first communion dress, all singing or praying aloud in their own language. At each church they would stop and kneel for the benediction of the host. Outdoor masses were also sometimes held and attended by many on warm summer days. For many years at Masses held in memory of a departed parishioner, a ceremonial coffin covered in a pall was laid in the aisle with six candles on either side, as a symbolic indication of the person for whom the prayers were being said. On April 10, 1943 the entire parish rejoiced when one of their own sons, Joseph S. Reguly, was ordained in North Bay, Ontario. He would be St.Peter's priest from 1950 to 1988. |
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